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No deficit too large for Fenway faithful

Fenway faithful never falter

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By Mark Remme
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- The buzz around Yawkey Way died down considerably on Friday, though everyone walking the streets near Fenway Park undoubtedly knew what type of miracle took place inside the old ballpark just one night before.

Following the come-from-behind 8-7 Red Sox win over the Rays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, Fenway's historic grounds outside the ballpark had the normal crew grabbing a bite to eat at the local pubs while relishing what happened under the lights just after midnight ET.

Silence overtook victory. The previous night's happiness was quickly overtaken by obligations of the next day.

Still, the excitement of those who took in the festivities of the largest comeback in LCS history was fresh in the city's memory.

Did those watching outside of Fenway on Thursday night keep hope that the Sox would make a comeback?

"Yes," said Gregg Treml, a frequent customer of the Game On! bar just outside Fenway on Brookline Avenue. "Because we're Bostonians, there's always that glimmer of hope -- that chance that something is going to happen."

Treml and his friends, with whom he watched the game Thursday, were well aware of the comebacks Boston pulled off in 2004 and '07.

This time around, with the team battling injuries to the likes of Mike Lowell and the struggles of ace pitcher Josh Beckett, there's no doubt this particular comeback would be perhaps more difficult than the one orchestrated just one year before against the Indians.

But there's always a chance.

When David Ortiz hit his three-run homer in the seventh inning, bringing the Sox to within three, it was apparent to Treml and his crew that this might be the team's opportunity.

Sure enough, J.D. Drew followed it up with a two-run shot in the eighth and the game-winning hit in the ninth, sending the Boston faithful into hysteria yet another time.

"It was crazy. When something like that happens, you've just defied all the odds," Treml said. "You could see the disappointment, like you sucked the life out of [Rays manager] Joe Maddon. I mean, you've energized the city for the rest of the day."

If anything, there's a belief that reigned supreme outside Fenway on Friday.

The area was silent, but the team will play at least one more game in 2008. That's all the faithful could've asked for.

"It seems like the Sox want it," Treml said. "They want to go to the World Series. It's not over 'til it's over."

Mark Remme is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.